21 Jul 2005

World Bank consultant says Kiribati climate planning may sway other governments

3:49 pm on 21 July 2005

A consultant for the World Bank says Kiribati's climate change adaptation strategy may sway attitudes to global warming worldwide.

The strategy - the region's first - explains how Kiribati plans to tackle potential hazards, including the changing frequency and intensity of bad weather, and of periods of drought.

It examines how it would impact on people's livelihoods, where and what kind of housing structures they would put up, the impact on fishing patterns, and how to cope with a growing population.

A consultant for the World Bank on the project, Tony Hughes, says it may change attitudes towards global warming in other countries.

"Part of the lessons would be, 'How do you approach this?' The specific physical changes in the way you do things, I think they're likely to be rather country specific, but the attitude of mind, yes, I think there will be some lessons, some things for other countries to look at, in the way Kiribati is approaching this."